Richard Croxford is the Artistic Director at the Lyric Theatre which this year reopened its doors following a much heralded rebuilding project. Having plenty of experience of ‘treading the boards’ himself after studying at drama school in England, the Liverpool-born actor and director is overseeing a new era of drama productions at the Ridgeway Street theatre.

I was born in... Liverpool

I grew up in... Liverpool and Edinburgh

I now live... in Glenavy

I was educated at... Liverpool College, George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, Southampton University and East 15 Drama School, London

My earliest memory is... from when I was three years old playing with our old boxer dog, Rocky

When I was a child I wanted to be... an actor

I actually became... an actor and a director

Worst job you've ever had... a dreadful tour of Cinderella just after I left drama school. The kids threw things at us and the director stepped in for an actress who was ill. She drank half a bottle of sherry before the show and wreaked havoc. She shouted things at us from the wings, slurred her words and turned a duet into a solo song by pushing the other person off the stage!

Best job you've ever had... my current one

The bravest thing I've ever done... paraglide off a 6000 ft high mountain

The stupidest thing I've ever done... swim fully clothed after a few drinks only to discover my iPhone was still in my pocket

The biggest thing I've yet to do... tidy the bedroom

The person/people who inspired me most is/are... my parents

The most important thing in the world is... love and respect for others

I'm very bad at... keeping things tidy

I'm very good at... keeping a cool head

I'm most proud of... my 24 year relationship with my partner

My best friend would say I... procrastinate

I like to relax by... doing Bikram yoga

My favourite saying/quote is... “The world is a stage but the play is badly cast” Oscar Wilde

The last book I read was... The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

My favourite movie is... The Sound of Music

The actor that would play me in a movie of my life would be... Colin Firth

The song that makes me dance is... Bad Romance, Lady Gaga

The song I would have played at my funeral would be... The Prayer by Andrea Boccelli

The best place I've ever been... Machu Picchu, Peru

The place I have to visit before I die is... The Taj Mahal

The last person I talked to on the phone was... my partner

The last text message I received was from... James D Reid (co-composer of The Little Prince)

If I was a politician I would... fund the arts better and ensure people understood their importance

If I won the lottery I would... travel the world and set up an arts foundation to support theatre

If I could describe myself in five words they would be... positive, friendly, vague, trustworthy and empathic

If I could invite five people (living or dead) to a dinner party they would be... Shakespeare, Marilyn Monroe, Simon Callow, Joan Rivers and Will Smith

If I could change one thing about South Belfast it would be... to have a bus route past the Lyric

My favourite thing about South Belfast is... The Lyric Theatre